David Nezelek
Cibbuano
TyronneHumphrey Bogart
August 7th 2007 02:56
Humphrey Bogart
Tough player
"Acting is experience with something sweet behind it." - Bogie
The lisping cinematic tough guy who became “the stuff that dreams are made of”, Humphrey Bogart appeared in many films as a B actor before finally becoming a star.
"I made more lousy pictures than any actor in history." – Humphrey Bogart
Making his first notable mark on the public in the 1936 film The Petrified Forest, in a role he had already made his own on Broadway, ironically Bogie was none to comfortable with playing the heavy.
"I can't get in a mild discussion without turning it into an argument. There must be something in my tone of voice, or this arrogant face—something that antagonizes everybody. Nobody likes me on sight. I suppose that's why I'm cast as the heavy." – Bogie
Blending into the darkness
Rising up through the Warner lot in 1938 he appeared in Angels with Dirty Faces alongside gangster #1 James Cagney. The following year the Roaring Twenties was released again he was in James Cagney’s shadow.
Still not a fully fledged star, a role in Dark Victory beside Bette Davis earnt him further industry notice. Raoul Walsh’s They Drive By Night saw him onscreen with George Raft (Some like It Hot, Manpower, Intrigue), but it was his 38th film, High Sierra that finally showed he could carry a picture.
Working with Howard Hawkes has its advantages
Famously joking that he wouldn’t have had a career without the roles that George Raft rejected, (Eg: Casablanca and High Sierra). The long faced rogue never looked back, continuing to establish himself as one of the biggest stars of the day with classics like The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca on the horizon.
"Acting is like sex: you either do it and don't talk about it, or you talk about it and don't do it. That's why I'm always suspicious of people who talk too much about either." - Bogie
A Bird and a PI become a legend
By the mid 1940’s he was a household name and famously the onscreen chemistry between his 19 year old co star in To Have and Have Not translated into being the off camera love of his life and 4th wife Lauren Bacall.
"I'm a one-woman man and I always have been. I guess I'm old-fashioned. May be that's why I like old-fashioned women, the kind who stays in the house playing 'Roamin' in the Gloamin'. They make a man think he's a man and they're glad of it." - Bogie
The great romance
Working steadily, bucking authority any chance he got Bogie and cohorts like Frank Sinatra and Angie Dickinson went partying in Vegas one weekend and on seeing the aftermath Bacall quipped "You look like a god damn rat pack.”, the rest is history.
Bogie plays it cool
Improving with age and refining his trademark no bullshit attitude, highlights in this later period included the John Huston Directed The Treasure of Sierra Madre and The African Queen. In A Lonely Place, The Desperate Hours, The Left Hand of God and We’re No Angels also stand out as quintessential moments.
"Democrat in politics, Episcopalian by upbringing, dissenter by disposition."- Bogart describes himself
Gold corrupts absolutely
The ahead of its time anti war, black comedy Battle Circus boldly challenged convention in a way not seen again until Robert Altman’s MASH. His final film appearance in The Harder They Fall is as solid as his best work in a story of moral corruption within the boxing game.
Hepburn matches Bogart in wit and mind
Passing away on the 14th of January 1957 of throat cancer the hard drinking, hard smoking, lover of sailing is now listed as one of the great screen legends. Persistence and raw talent earned the tenacious thespian his place and a healthy attitude to the industry and the Hollywood game are what sustained it.
"I came out here with one suit and everybody said I looked like a bum. Twenty years later Marlon Brando came out with only a sweatshirt and the town drooled over him. That shows how much Hollywood has progressed." - Bogie
Smokin till the end
Enjoy a montage of images capturing the essence of Bogie's appeal
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